Wallabies wing Mark Nawaqanitawase ‘leaning’ towards code switch – report
Wallabies wing Mark Nawaqanitawase is on the brink of signing a stunning two-year deal with NRL heavyweights the Sydney Roosters according to a report out of Australia.
Rugby Australia already have their backs up against the ropes following the Wallabies’ disasterclass at this year’s World Cup, but this news comes as another damaging blow before the end of the year.
The Roar’s Christy Doran has revealed that Nawaqanitawase “is leaning towards jumping codes” after meeting with Roosters coach Trent Robinson and chairman Nick Politis last month.
Nawaqanitawase only debuted for the Wallabies during last year’s end-of-season tour, but the 11-Test wing quickly rose to superstar status during an otherwise terrible year for the Wallabies.
The 23-year-old appeared destined to play a starring role in the Wallabies’ quest to overcome the threat of the British and Irish Lions in 2025, but that might go down as a telling ‘what if’ in Australian rugby moving forward.
With Nawaqanitawase set to come off contract with the NSW Waratahs and Rugby Australia at the end of 2024, the opportunity to explore other opportunities was always going to be a possibility.
After penning a one-year contract extension earlier this year, the Wallaby told The Sydney Morning Herald that there are “other things out there that might interest me.”
“I would have liked more,” Nawaqanitawase said. “I’d love to stay here as long as I can.
“With certain circumstances, we had to agree on something. The one-year (contract extension) was the best thing at the time.
“Hopefully (I can) win a Super Rugby title with the Tahs and hopefully win a World Cup.
“In a perfect world, I’d like to stay (in rugby) but there’s always a but. There’s obviously other things out there that might interest me.”
The Roar understands that Nawaqanitawase will make a decision “within the next 24 hours” with the Roosters reportedly offering a deal of around $600,000 to switch codes.
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The weather was dreadful but the playing surface was great so there is no real excuse for such another poor standard of play from both sides. Dragons just the better team. But, what a shocking decision by the TMO not to award the Fifita try. This pretty much sums up Welsh rugby with poor teams and poor officials. The WRU have a lot of work to do and it needs to be done quickly to avoid rugby being lost to our future generations.
Go to commentsNo chance of Borthwick selecting any young talent. He announced his selection policy from the outset with naming a poor OF as Captain, retaining an equally poor Youngs and Vunipola brothers when there were many better EQP in the Premiership. SB revival of Leicester was based on SA muscle and a terrific Welsh flanker he has generally ignored young English talent.
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